squab
/ˈskwɒb/
"squab" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“squab” is an uncommon English word, ranked #98,746 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #98,746
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A fledgling (young) bird.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | squab |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈskwɒb/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #98,746 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “squab” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for squab is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskwɒb/. Corpus data places it at rank #98,746 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for squab, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown. Possibly related to dialectal Swedish skvabb (“fatty, flabby”). First attested in the 17th century. The correct English form is squab, spelled S-Q-U-A-B.
Definition
- 1A fledgling (young) bird.
- 2A fledgling (young) bird.
- 3A fledgling (young) bird.
- 4The meat of young dove or pigeon, typically under four weeks old, used as food.
- 5A thick cushion, especially a flat one covering the seat of a chair or sofa.
- 6A person of a short, fat figure.
Etymology
Unknown. Possibly related to dialectal Swedish skvabb (“fatty, flabby”). First attested in the 17th century.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “squab”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-Q-U-A-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈskwɒb/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.